Improvement in buttons and studs



WITNESSES.

G. DOWNS.

Buttons and Studs.

Patented Aug. 26,1879.

INVENTCIR.

Nv PETERS. PHDTO-LITNOGRAPHER, WASMNGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT Or r'icn.

CHARLES DOWNS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTONS AND STUDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 218,864., dated August26, 1879; application filed July 28, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, CHARLES Downs, of the city and county ofProvidence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Buttons and Studs; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention relates to that class of buttons and studs which are madein two separable parts, for convenience of application and removal, andto that variety in which the parts are fastened together by aspring-locking device or devices operated, when the parts of the buttonare to be separated, bya pusher or pushers extending radially beyond thehead of the button.

Myimproveinent consists in simplifying the construction of such a buttonby so shaping and mounting the locking device that it is guided andretained in position by the stem attached to the head of the button, orby the actuatingspring and the rim of the head, thereby dispensin g witha guard or guide plate for the purpose.

My improvement is applicable to collar-buttons, sleeve-buttons, studs,860.; but for the purpose of illustrating my invention I have chosen asleeve-button, which is represented at Figure 1 of the drawings inpartial vertical section. Fig. 2 shows a view of the under side of thebutton-head. Fig. 3 represents thestem in perspective, and Fig. 4 thelocking-plate in perspective. i

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the head of the button, and B thetubular stem attached thereto. As shown at Figs. 1 and 3, the stem B isprovided, near its base, with a slot, 12, into which a portion, 0, ofthe sliding locking-plate O enters by the force of a spring, D, whichsurrounds a tail-piece, 0 on the plate G, and takes bearing against therim of the button-head. This plate is provided with a slot, 0', of awidth equal, or nearly equal, to the exterior diameter of the stem B,and is furnished with a member or pusher, 0 which projects radiallythrough and beyond the rim of the button-head, so that the plate may bemoved longitudinally by the fingers. The remaining parts of the buttonconsist of a shoe,

E, and a post, F, attached to said shoe, and pro 'ided with ashoulderedhead, f, with which the portion 0 of the locking-plate can engage whenthe parts of the button are combined, and thereby prevent them fromseparating until the said plate is properly moved. The amount oflongitudinal movement of this plate is limited in one direction by thecontact of the end of the tail-piece c with the interior of thebutton-rim, or by the contact of the head 0 of the pusher with theexterior of the rim, (preferably the latter.) the amount of movementbeing insuficient to allow the portion 0 to pass entirely out of theslot 1) in the stem.

In the other direction the movement is limited by the contact of theface of the portionc with the vertical walls of the slot 11.

It will thus be seen that the locking-plate O is confined vertically inposition by the engagement of the portion 0 with the slot 1), aided bythe bearing of the pusher in the rim of thebutton-head.

Theplate C may be laterally guided in three ways without materiallyvarying the construction: first, by making the width of the slot 0 equalto the exterior diameter of the stem, as above specified, so that thestem shall guide the plate by the engagement of its periphery with thesides of the slot; second, by making the width of the portion act theplate less than the interior diameter of the stem, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 4:, and making the vertical walls of the slot 1) parallelwith and in engagement with the sides of the said portion; and, third,by securing the spring D to the rim of the button, and making thetail-piece a nearly equal in length to the spring, as shown, the widthof the slot 0 being immaterial. By

this latter method one end of the plate is guided by the bearing of thepusher c in the rim of the button-head, and the other end by the coilsof the spring D. Either of the above methods of laterally guiding theplate 0 is within the spirit of my invention.

Although in the drawings, and as thus far described, I have shown onlyone locking-plate, yet two may be employed, one overlying the other, itonly being necessary to remove the tail-piece c on each platealittle toeither side of the diametrical line occupied by the pushers to preventcontact, and to bring the portion 0 on each plate into the same plane,that both may engage the shouldered lleadfof the post F, the stem beingsupplied with a second slot, b.

Havingdescribed myinvention, whatI claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a separable button or stud, the combination, with the shoe E andpost F, of the head A, slotted stein B, actuating-spring D, and slidinglocking-plate 0. adapted to receive the spring, as shown, provided witha pusher, 0 a portion, 0, for engaging the post, and a slot, 0 whosewidth is equal to the exterior diameter of the stem B, whereby the saidplate is laterally guided, substantially as described and shown. I

2. In a separable button or stud, the combination, with the shoe E andpostF, ofthe head A, slotted stein B, actuatin g-sprin g D, and slottedlocking-plate 0, adapted to receive the spring,

as shown, provided with a pusher, c and with a portion, 0, which engagesthe vertical walls of the slot in the stem and laterally guides theplate, substantially as set forth.

3. In a separable button or stud, the combination, with the shoe E andpost F, of the head A, slotted stem 13, actuating-sprin g D, secured tothe button-head, and slotted locking-plate 0, provided with a pusher, 0which takes bearing in. the button-head, with a portion, 0, for engagingthe post, and with a tail-piece, c which enters the spring D, asdescribed and shown, and assists in laterally guiding the plate,substantially as set forth.

CHAS. DOWNS.

Witnesses:

EDSON SALISBURY J oNEs, WM. A. GADY.

